Month: February 2017

There was a lot of love in the air at the Damien Dempsey concert in Vicar Street. I don’t mean romantic love, or a Christmas dizzying high, but rather Dempsey’s genuine goodwill and empathy for people. He is one of the great heroes of Irish music, gives a voice to the voiceless, a face to the faceless and he doesn’t do sugar coating. He implores us to question what is morally right and most importantly, to party on.

The Audience were Captivated

The man from Donaghmede drew an audience of every age, gender and personality. Reunions of families, gaggles of friends and scores of couples were all mesmerised by him. The crowd listened in awe to his powerful voice, polished lyrics and his passion for justice. We were the pupils of that rare teacher who inspires you to see life in a new light. With that winning combination of insight, empathy and clarity we were all enchanted.

Intro

The night opened with the first track of his album Shots. “Sing all your Cares Away” is an anthem celebrating ordinary people who overcome serious life struggles. The message of Dempsey’s music is that although life can be hard, our strength will let us emerge victorious. He shows us how ordinary people overcome extraordinary difficulties. He makes heroes of local people as he has great empathy for them.

Remember Our Roots

Dempsey proceeded to play many of his political and historical songs, such as “Colony” and “Massai”. I overheard a people in the crowd discuss the origin and significance of the Massai, knowledge of which we were taught by the album “To Hell or Barbados”. Damien Dempsey is responsible for most of my education in Irish history. Despite his wrist evidently paining him for the second half of the gig, he still did justice to his heart-felt ballads. It was like a metaphor as he played the guitar and fought through the pain.

Getting Deep

When I heard the song “Serious”, I wriggled my way to the front of the crowd to where the most ardent fans joined me in singing along. This song depicts a man at conflict with himself, on whether or not he should go down the line of drug abuse. Dempsey raises awareness of drug-related problems with peer pressure being just the beginning. His message makes a difference in the world because it is rooted in empathy and fuelled by hope for a good future.

Be Kind to Ourselves

Toward the end of the gig, the six foot balladeer declared to the audience: “Before you go to sleep tonight, look into the mirror… and give it a big kiss!” While I laughed initially, I realised that this was one of the best pieces of advice I had received all year. Dempsey advises that we give ourselves some kindness too, showing once more his compassion and humanity.

The Outro

Before we all said goodbye to this champion of the people, Damo gave us his rendition of a Bob Marley’s classic. He reassured us that “every little thing is gonna be alright”, and we felt the last waves of his positive message. Dempsey provides a message of hope in turbulent times. His positive vibes will keep us going in 2017. Music is our remedy, bringing hope for a bright future. With Damien Dempsey leading the way, Irish music has the best teacher at hand. And one thing is for sure, they don’t teach this in school.

How do we create and sustain friendships? Like any relationship, friendships take some effort, but are well worth it. How can we invite the best friends into our life? And once we have established a group friends, how do we keep these people in our lives? How can we know who are the right people for us to be with? Here are some quick tips!

Be a Friend First

The late author, Maya Angelou, said “to have a friend, you have to be a friend first”. This is very good advice as if we want to invite new wonderful things into our lives, such as friends, or a new job or improved health, we must start with ourselves. We must open our hearts to life’s gifts and be ready for wonderful new people and things in our lives. We must be the person who we would like to be around.

Take a Look Around

The entrepreneur, Jim Rohn, said, “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Who are these people in your life? Are they family members, flatmates, partners, children or friends? Do they have a positive influence or a negative influence on you? This time next year, would you like to be surrounded by these same people or would you like to make some changes?

Choose Who to Befriend

With people, we have a choice who we wish to befriend. We can create our own social sphere to our own liking. One of our greatest freedoms is the ability to let go of people who bring us down and invite in people who we wish to be in our lives. We can choose the cast of people in our lives. As we grow as a person, we will naturally change the people who surround us.

Learn to Let Go

As we go through life, we grow as people. And as our personality develops, we change our likes and dislikes. This is a totally naturally process and means we are discovering more about ourselves. However, it can mean the end of some friendships. Sometimes a friend may say to us “You are not the person I thought I knew” or a relationship can come to an end. Even though the relationship was beautiful, if it feels right to end, then we must accept the loss of old relationships. We need to make way for new ones.

Go and Explore!

This is your chance to discover who you are, who you want to be with and who you want to become. Each person likes a different set of friends, perhaps a small number of close friends or a large number of acquaintances. Some people like to socialise daily and some prefer to meet once a month for a catch up. Find what works best for you!

What type of tea do you like? Some teas are good for some of our health issues. There is even the right time to take each one. Do you know when to drink what kind of tea? If you are fond of a cuppa, here is a list of teas and their remedies.

Green Tea

The story goes that this drink was invented when leaves fell into a cup of hot water belonging to a monk. This was a happy accident to happen upon him as he found his mood were quite enhanced. This discovery showed us tea is full of antioxidants and caffeine which means it is good to boost energy and also has some medical properties. Green tea is best to take in the morning so that you can awaken your metabolism.

Black Tea

Strong in flavour and deeply comforting, this is a favourite tea of the Irish. This tea is highly oxidizing and kills bacteria in our mouths which cause cavities. Black tea is also revered for reducing cortisol levels in the body, meaning that it helps to reduce feelings of stress. It is important not to take too much black tea as it may keep us from sleeping if taken in too high amounts.

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is best taken before going to bed as part of our winding down time. This tea is made from the beautiful chamomile flower and has a wonderfully pleasing aroma. This tea is best taken with the full flowers immersed in water for aesthetic reasons! Chamomile tea has very relaxing effects similar to lavender. For this reason it can be used to help alleviate insomnia.

Ginger Tea

Ginger tea is a good option to take when we have stomach problems. Motion sickness and morning sickness can also be treated with this tea. Its healing properties have been known for thousands of years, making this a well-known and well-revered medicinal tea. Ginger can also be freshly grated into hot water and combined with lemon to maximise the taste and power of the ginger root.

Peppermint Tea

And finally, peppermint tea is also very effective for stomach pains. The sweet-smelling essential oils of peppermint tea make this a very pleasing tea to drink. Peppermint activates digestion in the stomach in a very gentle way and for that reason can be used to reduce stomach pains. It is ideal to take at any time of the day, and some people take it before going to bed to help to sleep better.

So for most health ailments of the body and mind, there is a natural remedy. Teas can be a great soothing or energising tonic depending on which kind we choose. It is definitely worthwhile using some of the ancient wisdom about the fruits of the earth to improve our health and well-being.